Higashikurokawa Yakata
Information Quotes CV: Nakamura Sakura Higashikurokawa Yakata Kurokawa Aizu-Wakamatsu & Aizu-Wakamatsu Kai Background Higashikurokawa Yakata/Kurokawa Higashikurokawa Yakata was built by Ashina Naomori in 1384. It was renamed to Kurokawa Castle in the 15th century. It served as the home castle of the Ashina clan. During the Sengoku Period, the Ashina clan was at war with the Date clan led by Date Masamune. Taking advantage of the internal conflicts within the Ashina family regarding the issue of successors, Date Masamune achieved a decisive victory against the Ashina in the Battle of Suriagehara in 1589. Ashina's leader, Ashina Yoshihiro, retreated to Kurokawa Castle. As Masamune's army closed in, Yoshihiro deserted Kurokawa Castle and fled to Hitachi to his biological father Satake Yoshishige(Yoshihiro was adopted by the Ashina family). The Ashina clan was essentially eliminated after this battle, and Kurokawa Castle was surrendered to the Date. Aizu-Wakamatsu Date Masamune's campaign against Ashina Yoshihiro was a clear violation of "Soubujirei", or the decree issued by the Toyotomi administration that stated "all territorial disputes among daimyos should be settled by Toyotomi Hideyoshi and not by warfare". Hideyoshi then confiscated Kurokawa Castle from Masamune after the Siege of Odawara in 1590. Kurokawa was in turn given to Gamou Ujisato, a subordinate of Hideyoshi. Ujisato remodeled Kurokawa into Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle, using it as a base to monitor/pressure Date Masamune for Hideyoshi, because Date's actions alarmed Hideyoshi and presented the Date clan as a threat to the Toyotomi administration. After Gamou Ujisato's death, his son Gamou Hideyuki was unable to handle the family situation, as he was only 13 years old. Hideyoshi then relocated the Gamou family to Utsunomiya and assigned Uesugi Kagekatsu to Aizu-Wakamatsu. However, the Uesugi clan sided with Ishida Mitsunari during the battle of Sekigahara. Naturally, Tokugawa Ieyasu punished the clan and relocated it to Yonezawa. Aizu-Wakamatsu was then given to Gamou Hideyuki once again, for his support of Ieyasu during Sekigahara. Gamou Hideyuki passed away at a very young age of 26, without leaving heir. Tokugawa then assigned Katou Hideaki to Aizu-Wakamatsu. He was succeeded by his son Katou Akinari. During Akinari's time as owner, the castle suffered from the Aizu earthquake that destroyed the castle's structures. Akinari rebuilt the castle, giving it the tower-shaped tenshu as seen today. However, Akinari was not well liked by his subordinates and some of his retainers ran away from him. He in turn vengefully sent out assassins to assassinate those who have forsaken him. The Bakufu then saw him as unfit as a ruler of the domain and decided to relocate the Katou to Iwami. The next owner of Aizu-Wakamatsu was Hoshina Masayuki, the illegitimate child of the second Shogun Tokugawa Hidetada. Out of respect for his adopted father, Masayuki did not change the family name back to Matsudaira(Tokugawa's original name) until two generations later. After the frequent ownership changes in previous years, Aizu-Wakamatsu finally experienced stable rule under the Matsudaira until 1868. The Aizu Domain was a staunch supporter of the Bakufu in the Boushin Wars. In 1868, the Aizu War began. The New Government Army pushed northward to Aizu but was met with fierce resistance at Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle. A group of defenders, called the "Byakkotai" (White Tiger Squad), became extremely well known. It consisted mostly of teenagers who were very loyal to Aizu's cause. They were featured in various types of media for their faith and bravery. Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle withstood the attack for 3 months, but was eventually surrendered in November. In 1873, the Meiji government began to demolish castles across Japan. Aizu-Wakamatsu's structures were mostly destroyed. Parts of it were used by the Imperial Japanese Army. The current tenshu was reconstructed in 1965 in concrete. Currently there is a museum inside, and an observation gallery on top with panoramic views of the city. Evolution Chain Trivia * Higashikurokawa Yakata was the pre-registration reward given at the game's launch in November 2014. It was briefly made available in the December 2014 event as an event map drop at E-3. * Higashikurokawa Yakata and Kurokawa make references to the Ashina clan that built it. * Unlike many girls in the game, Aizu-Wakamatsu does not seem to take the personality of a prominent owner/clan (probably because she experienced excessive ownership changes). Instead, she seems to represent the Aizu region in general, referencing to regional food, products and history. * Aizu-Wakamatsu and Sendai II seem to both think that the famous song "Koujou no Tsuki" was written for themselves, leading to in game quarrels. This is because the author of the song, Taki Rentarou, never made this clear. The song can be heard here. * Aizu-Wakamatsu's attitude shows that she is not fond of those who support the Meiji Restoration/New Government Army. This is not only a reference to the fierce battle that took place in Aizu-Wakamatsu against the New Government Army, but also a sentiment shared by many of the local people. The Meiji government took some questionable measures against those who dared to oppose it in Aizu-Wakamatsu. The corpses of those who fought against the New Government Army were deprived of proper burials. They were left in the field to rot as a way to humiliate them. This not only had an emotional impact, but also had an environmental impact as well. * Even to this day, people of the Fukushima Prefecture(Aizu Domain) do not think highly of those in Hagi(Choushuu Domain), who were the prominent supporters of the Meiji Restoration. However, in recent years there are signs of reconciliation. After the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in 2011, the city of Hagi made a donation to those affected by the disaster. The mayor of Aizu-Wakamatsu visited Hagi to show appreciation. In return, the mayor of Hagi made a trip up to Aizu-Wakamatsu in 2012, paying respect by placing some flowers on the graves of the Byakkotai members who lost their lives in the Aizu War. See Also Gallery of Higashikurokawa Yakata Chain ja.wikipedia entry on Aizu-Wakamatsu en.wikipedia entry on Aizu-Wakamatsu Category:Castles Category:Katana Class Category:Gun Class Category:Plains-Mountain Castle